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The Kingfisher
The Kingfisher is a short animated film that was created as part of THAC 12 and introduced the character of Gangster Folio Byrd. While it did not win, it has become a popular film with the fan base. Film Details * Release Date: January 3, 2015 * Running Time: 2 min. * MPAA Rating: PG * Director: Andrew Bermudez * Producer: Andrew Bermudez * Writer: Teresa Bermudez Plot Summary The film starts with a man, Phil Byrd, walking along in the marina when he sees a Mob Boss overseeing the execution of one of his enemies. The Mob Boss' men throw the man into the water, leaving Phil in shock. As the mob glances over to see who was watching them, Phil runs off. At the Police Station, Phil signs some paperwork, at the instructions of Captain Bill, in order to enter witness protection. Chase McCain guides Phil out of the station. 6 months later, Phil is walking down the street when a limo pulls up with the Mob Boss inside. He tries to propose an offer to keep Phil silent, but Phil has other plans. He shoots the Mob Boss, takes over his position as the proprietor of the Phoenix Casino, and renames himself Gangster Folio Byrd, the Kingfisher. Production History In December 2014, it was announced on Bricksinmotion.com that the next THAC contest would be held on January 2, 2015, a contest that Andrew Bermudez wanted to enter. While the last time that Mustache Maniacs Film Co. had entered was for THAC 8 in 2010, it was already confirmed that this one was going to be done differently, mainly because it was going to be part of Project U. That day, the morning was started off by analyzing the mod elements (black brick connected to a blue brick and the letter N) and theme (a fresh start) and building the story around that. According to production documents, some of the ideas proposed included an alien moving to Earth, a man moving from the suburbs to the country, and a heart-broken man joining the army. One idea that was repeatedly shot down was a bear moving out of its cave and building a log cabin. Because of this, most studio conversations end with "and someday, that bear is going to build his cabin." When the idea that eventually became The Kingfisher was settled upon, the story was going to feature generic characters, but Andrew Bermudez, pulling up the character of Gangster Folio from Legends of the Universe, decided to turn the narrative into an origin story. Filming sailed along briskly, ending production far sooner in the day than anticipated. The film was released the next day, January 3, 2015. Initially, it didn't get much attention, but as the days went on, it garnered more views. Audience Reception While this film did not get into the THAC 12 top ten results, the film itself became the subject of astoundingly positive reviews. Despite its flaws, many people came to cherish the film, causing a surge of popularity for the main character, Phil "Folio" Byrd. Characters * Gangster Folio Byrd (Al Bermudez) * Mob Boss (Wes Rudnick) * Captain Bill Stewart (Andrew Bermudez) * Chase McCain (n/a) * Hit Man #1 (n/a) * Hit Man #2 (n/a) Credits * Andrew Bermudez - Director; Animator; Set Design; Art Director; Producer; Editor; Sound Design; Voice Actor * Teresa Bermudez - Writer; Assistant Director; Adviser * Al Bermudez - Voice Actor * Wes Rudnick - Voice Actor Locations * LEGO City * LEGO City Marina * LEGO City Police Station * Phoenix Casino Tropes The Kingfisher ''contains examples of the following tropes. * 'Combat Pragmatist:' When the Mob Boss tries to get rid of Phil in front of the church, Phil responds by simply shooting the Mob Boss. * 'Continuity Nod:' Inside the police station, the characters that appear in the police station are Captain Bill and Chase McCain. * 'He Knows Too Much:' At the beginning of the film, Phil Byrd witnesses a mafia execution at the marina. * 'If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him:' After Phil kills the Mob Boss, Phil takes his place and becomes a ruthless mob boss himself. * 'Inspiration Nod:' This film takes design cues from ''The Godfather, even emulating that film's title design. * The Mafia: They form the antagonists of this film. * Protagonist Journey to Villain: Essentially, the plot of this film. * Starting a New Life: Phil Byrd does this, first by entering witness protection, then by killing the Mob Boss and taking his place. * Witness Protection: After seeing the mob hit at the marina, Phil Byrd goes into witness protection. Trivia * The main character, Phil Byrd, was originally created for Legends of the Universe. * The reason that Wes Rudnick was cast as the Mob Boss is because he was visiting that day, and there was no one else to play the role. * The scene with Captain Bill helping Phil sign the paperwork was added because it was discovered that there wasn't enough animation in the film to meet the contest guidelines. * This film's visuals are inspired by the classic drama The Godfather. Gallery 2015-01-03 14-06-13.581.jpg|Gangster Folio Byrd at the end of the film Mob Boss.jpg|Mob Boss Concept Art by Andrew Bermudez External Links * Official Web Page * Film on YouTube * Film on Bricksinmotion.com Category:Movies Category:Animation Category:Contest Entry Category:2015 Category:Project U